


Truth Be Told

by ShipsInTheKnight



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Love Confessions, Magical Accidents, Truth Serum, Truth Spells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-05-18 11:41:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5927088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShipsInTheKnight/pseuds/ShipsInTheKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry is tired of watching his parents fight while they secretly harbored feelings for one another. Deciding to take their relationship into his own hands, the boy turns to magic as a solution. When Snow accidently drinks the truth serum instead of his mother, Henry learns the hard way that all magic comes with a price.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Truth Be Told

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Obsessive_Fangirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsessive_Fangirl/gifts).



“Are you sure you want to do this,” warned the shopkeeper as he held out the small, glowing bottle in front of the child. Without hesitation, the boy snatched the object from the man’s hand and flashed him a beaming smile.

 “Positive,” Henry answered, stuffing the item into his coat pocket. He headed towards the exit of the pawnshop, tossing a ‘thank you’ over his shoulder, before leaving with the chime of a bell sounding overhead.

 For the past few weeks the boy’s efforts of getting his mothers together had proved futile, despite the fact they both secretly cared deeply for one another. They were too stubborn for their own good, which was why Henry resorted to desperate measures–going to Mr. Gold for magic.

 As the teenager toughed the chilly Maine weather, he clutched his hand tightly around the tiny, glass bottle inside his coat. The boy was determined for his plan, which he referred to as Operation Red Panda, to work.

 Henry turned the last corner and saw his destination in sight–his grandmother’s apartment. After jiggling his keys a bit to unlock the door, he entered into the living space, thankful to be out of the cold. The boy looked around from where he stood, and–when he saw no one in sight–called out for his blonde mother.

 The only response he got was the sound of feet shuffling above him–most likely coming from the savior’s room–and heard the muffled sounds of an argument taking place. _‘Typical,’_ he thought as he made his way towards the kitchen.

 On his way to the fridge to grab himself something to drink, he noticed a lone mug sitting on the dining room table. _‘It has to be her morning hot cocoa.’_ Thinking quickly, Henry decided to take the opportunity to put his potion to use–draining the bottle’s contents into the cup of warm, brown liquid.

 Before he could dwell on the repercussions of his actions, he heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs. _‘Oh shit!’_ The boy dove onto the couch, quickly posing himself into a ‘casual’ position–his legs crossed at the ankles–and whipped open a nearby comic book.

 “Oh, Henry,” the sheriff greeted, mildly surprised by the boy’s presence. “You’re back from Regina’s so soon?” Still out of breath from the adrenaline kick, all the boy could do in response was nod. “What are you doing with your jacket still on, kid,” his mother questioned as she made her way into the kitchen area.

 Henry opened his mouth to reply, but then reminded himself of the woman’s superpower. She’d know if he was lying to her. Thankfully, Emma didn’t care much for a response, having immediately spotted the plate-full of bearclaws on the counter and already shoved half of one into her mouth.

The boy let out a sigh of relief as the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs echoes once again in the apartment. This time the feet fell onto the wooden surface lighter than before, and Henry had no doubt it was the blonde’s mother.

 “Just give him a chance, Emma. I talked to him quite a bit and he seems like a really nice guy,” Snow explained, hoping to persuade the other woman.

 “Look, it’s not that I’m against blind dates. I just don’t like the idea of going out with someone you met while shopping for tampons,” Emma retorted, having grown tired of the conversation long ago. Henry crinkled his face in disgust at his mother’s reply and muttered under his breath, “Ew.”

 Taking the hint, Snow conceded, “Fine, you don’t have to go out with him.” Not giving the blonde time to celebrate her victory, the pixie-haired woman quickly added, “But you do have to make _some_ effort in the relationship department. You won’t be young forever, despite how young I appear now at age 55.”

 Emma rolled her eyes at her mother’s comment, having heard it all before. Henry craned his neck towards the two women, hoping that his mother would take the lull in the conversation as opportunity to take a sip from her drink. As he watched over his shoulder, the boy was alarmed to spot his grandmother’s hands wrapped around that same mug. And before he could warn her not to take a sip, he watched in horror as the woman took a generous gulp from the container. _‘Shit! This isn’t good!’_

 His gaze then flashes to Emma, confused. Why would Mary Margaret be drinking a cup of hot cocoa and not her? Just as the thought crossed his mind, his mom lifted her own hand–revealed a mug of her own–which had been hidden behind the counter. _‘No, no, NO!’_

When the short-haired brunette sat the mug back down on the table, she feet a shiver course down her spine. Not thinking much of the sensation, the woman shook off the feeling and then opened her mouth to ask her daughter about her later plans, but was surprised when something entirely different came out. 

“You’re lucky you even get things like a small town or the Internet to help you find someone. I had to get captured in a net for banditry to get a man,” Snow blurted out unexpectedly. Emma was taken aback by her harsh tone, and the pixie-haired woman rushed to cover her mouth with her own hands. 

“Is…everything okay,” questioned the blonde savior, unsure what the woman meant by her statement. 

“I-I don’t know where that came from,” she admitted honestly. Henry could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears. It would just be a matter of time before they figured it out. “Are you feeling alright, Mom,” asked a concerned Emma as she placed a hand on her mother’s pale forehead. 

Slapping the hand away, Snow exclaimed, “Why is it that you only call me ‘Mom’ when you’re trying to comfort me? Why not at dinner or in public?” Once again, the blonde was taken aback by the woman’s words. Her outburst only proved the savior’s theory: that something was definitely wrong.

“I’m sorry,” apologized the brunette. “It seems that I can’t help but blurt out the first things that pops into my mind.” Snow knits her eyebrows in confusion as Emma tells her that ‘everything’s going to be okay’ and they’ll ‘fix this’, whatever ‘this’ is.

 Turning her head towards Henry, who was still seated at the couch, she called out to him, “Call your mother and tell her we’re on our way. I have a strange feeling this could be magic related.”

 Not wanting to get in any more trouble by refusing to help, Henry quickly dialed the mayor’s number and held his phone to his ear. When he heard the woman’s concerned voice on the other end, he knew he was in big trouble.

When they arrive at the mayor’s house, Emma was already beyond annoyed by Snow’s ‘accidental’ critiquing of her life choices, which she was forced to listen to during the entire span of the car ride. They managed their way into the home to find Regina in her living room, spell books scattered all over the place.

“Sorry about all this,” apologized the blonde, despite the fact none of this was her fault. She just hated the fact that she was the savior, and could fix a simple magical mistake. Regina waved the woman off and proceeded to inform her that she needed one final ingredient to enact the reversal spell: a lock of hair from the person who enacted the first enchantment. Henry gulped.

“How are we supposed to do that? We didn’t see anyone cast the spell, it just happened,” Emma explained. Tilting her head in thought, the mayor began to list different ways in which the spell could have been cast, some of which included magical gnomes and water sprites. “No, no. None of those things happened.”

“Well, did you eat or drink anything before getting this way,” Regina inquired, having exhausted out any other options. That seemed to trigger something in the blonde, her face lighting up light a Christmas tree. 

“Hot cocoa! I had a sip of my hot chocolate then felt a weird shiver run down my spine,” exclaimed Snow. “Could that have been it?”

“Most likely,” Regina replied. Walking towards a stack of books sitting on a side table, Regina leaned over to retrieve the top one; all the while Emma was staring at her backside.

“Emma, does Regina have something on her dress,” Snow questioned innocently. The longer-haired brunette whirled back around, having obtained her desired item, and smirked at the sight of the blonde’s face turning a bright shade of pink.

Finding her voice, Emma waved the woman off and said, “She’s high off magic and hallucinating.” The mayor nodded in agreement, though she was not convinced. Meanwhile, Henry had been digging himself into deeper and deeper hole of regret ever since they entered the mansion.

Unable to hide the truth from them any longer, the boy blurted out, “It was me, okay! I did it!” All eyes fell upon the small brunette as he casted his gaze shamefully to the ground. Regina chuckled in disbelief, not able to wrap her head around her son being capable of such a thing. As if reading her thoughts, he plucked a hair from his head and dropped it into his mother’s prepared reversal spell. The potion turned a bright shade of purple and everyone in the room knew he was telling the truth.

 “Henry,” Emma gasped in disappointment, only to be echoed by a more authoritative voice. “Henry Daniel Mills, what were you thinking,” yelled the mayor, fuming. “Someone could have been seriously hurt, especially if you hadn’t mixed the potion correctly!”

 “I didn’t mix it, Gold did,” he tried.

 His brunette mother let out mirthless chuckle then said, “And what would incline you to go to that _imp?”_

 Henry fought with himself for a moment then decided to tell the truth. After all, that’s why he got the potion in the first place. What else did he have to lose? “I got it because every time you and Ma are together you argue…even though you both are secretly in love with each other.”

 A gasp could be heard, but no one knew who it came from, and then silence fell upon them. Seconds that felt like hours passed until Snow’s voice filled the void.

 “OOOOOHHHHH! I get it now,” she blurted out as if she just answered correctly the million-dollar question. “It just makes _so_ much sense!”

 “What are you talking about,” Regina snapped. She wasn’t about to let another secret loose with _that_ woman around, especially when her lips were looser than usual.

 Shaking off the woman’s harsh tone, Snow explained how Emma always turns down any guy she tries to set her up with. “You see, the problem isn’t with them. It’s that they aren’t _you!”_

 Regina’s breath hitched in her throat and she turned her attention to the still-silent blonde, who wore a glazed over expression. “Emma, is this true,” the shorter brunette questioned hesitantly.

The savior wanted so badly to deny the statement, but she knew she couldn’t. “Yes,” Emma answered, so softly that it was barely audible. But Regina had heard it, and that meant _everything._ The mayor nodded in response then broke out into the largest smile any of them had ever seen on her face.

“You’re such an idiot,” she chuckled at the blonde. “Can’t you see that I’m in love with you, too?” Without giving the blonde the chance to deny that she was, in fact, in love with Regina–which had been the truth–Regina rushed forward and engulfed the woman’s lips with her own. After the initial shock, Emma reciprocated and they fell into a steady rhythm.

“Okay, um…” Snow trailed off awkwardly. “I’m going to need some time to get used to _that,_ so…I’m just gonna take this reversal potion and go.” She snagged the potion from beside the two women, who were still lost in each other’s arms, and then turned to the boy. “Um, Henry…are you coming?” Without hesitation he replied, “Right behind ya!”

When the day was done, the group of fairytale misfits learned that the truth always does have its way of _coming out_ in the end.


End file.
